Switch to digital TV may cause problems

As the switch is about to be thrown to make TV broadcasting all-digital, only two things seem certain: no one knows exactly when it will happen or exactly who it will affect. Because Hunterdon is in a fringe reception area, it's likely some viewers will need to make changes.

Television broadcasters were to abandon their old-fashioned analog signals on Feb. 17 and replace them with digital television (DTV) signals, which are already on the air. Those who don't have digital-ready television sets -- and who use antennas rather than cable TV or satellite service -- will need converter boxes to receive the digital signals.

But a government-sponsored program to issue $40 coupons to help consumers offset the cost of the converters ran out of money, prompting requests to delay the change. Last week, the Senate approved a bill that would push the transition to June 12. The House was expected to consider the matter this week.

Tom Allibone of West Amwell, a telecommunications consultant and consumer activist, said his tests reveal that everyone in Hunterdon who uses an antenna for reception of New York City television will lose some, if not all, the channels that they receive now. That's based on his examination of about 50 installations across the county.

Michael Weis lives in East Amwell. He has cable TV, but relies on over-the-air signals for Philadelphia stations, because he's an Eagles and Phillies fan, and prefers Philadelphia news for the weather forecast. He can't get Philly channels 6 and 10 in digital.

"Everyone's situation is specific" to them, Mr. Weis said about TV reception problems. He hopes that an antenna booster -- a device that amplifies the antenna signal before it gets to the TV -- will solve his problem. That's because he doesn't want to buy a new antenna, "have an installer clamber on the roof and find out it doesn't work."

Mr. Allibone said his study shows that for those accustomed to watching New York City stations, they are almost certain to lose some, if not all, of them.

"People have spent from $500 to almost $1,000 on new antennas, only to find out that nothing's changed" and they still can't get the digital signals, Mr. Allibone said. He wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to delay the transition and "do what I did. Confirm that what I did is statistically valid. Come here and work with us. Let's find out how bad it is."

Mr. Weis is hopeful. That's because after the transition, some digital signals will move from their current high frequencies to lower ones. For example, Philadelphia's WPVI channel 6 actually transmits its digital signal on channel 64, even though a digital-capable TV will show it as channel 6. Lower frequency TV signals are easier to receive than higher frequency ones.

Mr. Allibone, who worked on the FCC's consumer advisory committee when new commission chairman Michael Copps was just a commissioner said, "Copps gets it" and is likely to delay the transition. Mr. Allibone traveled to Washington in December to lobby for a delay, saying that Hunterdon should be named a "community at risk" and studied for digital TV reception problems. He said that when the government and broadcast industry established the digital transmission standards, "they didn't tell the truth about the technical issues" that could complicate reception.

William N. McIntyre of Lebanon has spent a lot of time researching the matter and noted that people with TVs built to handle digital may have to "rescan after the switchover because the stations may relocate and change channels. If you don't see these, try rescanning the channels.

"Try re-orienting your antenna. If you are using a small, set-top 'rabbit-ears' antenna, try raising it higher or moving it near a window facing the broadcaster's location. Or you may need a larger, outdoor antenna.

"Consult AntennaWeb.org or TVFool.com for more assistance with antenna orientation and selection," Mr. McIntyre suggested. For more information, visit dtvanswers.com or the FCC's DTV-Transition Web page at www.dtv.gov or phone 888-CALL-FCC.

Although signal coverage maps available online show a TV station's theoretical reception area, both Mr. Allibone and Mr. Weis insist that there's only one way to find out if reception will actually work, and that's to connect the equipment and see what happens.

Even that's not a guarantee of future performance. "Wait until the leaves come out on the trees" in the spring, Mr. Allibone said, they may block the digital signal.